| |
|
News
bulletin board of UNESCO's Education Sector
|
|
No.
14
|
| |
|
Welcome
to the electronic news bulletin board of UNESCO's
Education Sector, informing you about UNESCO's
activities in the field of education and in
particular the follow-up to the World Education
Forum in Dakar (April 2000). Please forward
it to other interested colleagues.
|
| |
|
Contents
(20 December 2000)
---> Jacques Hallak retires as UNESCO's
Assistant Director-General for Education
---> Farewell comments by Jacques Hallak:
Coping with future challenges
---> UNESCO writes open letter to Oxfam
International
---> World Bank maps donors' EFA target
countries
---> Regional up-date on EFA activities
---> Countries in action for EFA (in this
issue: Bangladesh, Madagascar, Pakistan
and Sierra Leone)
---> Season's greetings
Attachments
in this issue:
---> Open
letter to Oxfam from UNESCO
--->
World Bank table on donors' EFA target countries
|
| |
|
===============
|
| |
|
Jacques
Hallak retires as UNESCO's Assistant Director-General
for Education
|
| |
Jacques Hallak, acting Assistant Director-General
for Education of UNESCO since May 2000, will
retire by the end of the month but will continue
to be closely involved in the Education for
All movement. |
| |
|
"Many of you know Jacques as a shaker and a
mover," said Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General
of UNESCO in his opening speech at the recent
meeting of the Working Group on Education for
All. "These characteristics, combined with his
intimate understanding of the issues at stake
and his personal charisma and enthusiasm have
been critically important for me and for UNESCO
at this crucial juncture for the Organization."
|
| |
|
|
The new Assistant Director-General for Education
is being appointed. More information will be
given in the next issue of the Bulletin Board |
| |
|
| Farewell
comments from Jacques Hallak: Coping with future
challenges |
| |
|
|
The World Education Forum in Dakar designated
UNESCO as the lead agency in the global drive
towards education for all. |
| |
|
|
In the past eight months we have taken this
leadership role seriously: We have been through
an internal reorganization to be able to better
respond to the responsibility entrusted to us.
We have also aimed at making the Dakar follow-up
process as collaborative as possible through
extensive consultations with Member States,
donors and non-governmental organizations. Our
approach has been and continues to be 'leadership
through partnership'. This does not imply, however,
that we can only move ahead in consensus. Debate
and even conflicting views are signs of a healthy
state of affairs and can actually help achieving
the Education for All goals that we all endorse
and believe in. |
| |
|
|
Although we have moved rapidly and made progress
on several fronts, major challenges lie in front
of us in the months to come. |
| |
|
|
In many countries, national EFA plans of action
are taking form. That is great news, but only
when these plans are backed by political will
and necessary financial resources. It cannot
be repeated too often: the determination of
countries is essential to the success of the
Education for All movement. Countries themselves
must take the lead in mobilizing efforts and
resources at national level and must secure
the involvement of civil society. |
| |
|
|
However, the support of the international community
is crucial. The commitments made in Dakar, Okinawa
(the G8 Summit) and most, recently in Halifax
(the conference of Ministers of Education of
the Commonwealth) now have to take concrete
forms. The famous commitment in the Dakar Framework
for Action that 'no government seriously committed
to achieving education for all will be thwarted
in this achievement by lack of resources' now
needs to be translated into concrete funding
agreements. |
| |
|
|
The changing landscape of civil society organizations
across the globe also calls for new kinds of
partnerships and alliances. These organizations
must play a crucial role and be given greater
visibility in the preparation and implementation
of national plans of action. At the same time,
we must try to get more concise knowledge about
the impact of their efforts. |
| |
|
|
UNESCO will continue to play its role as broker.
On the recommendation of the Working Group on
EFA, we have decided to create a number of task-oriented
sub-committees, which will be up and running
early next year. For example, there will be
a sub-committee to move forward on the 'global
initiative' that will design concrete strategies
to ensure increased funding for EFA in a realistic
way. Only together we can make these sub-committees
effective and constructive. |
| |
|
|
Judging from my more than thirty years experience
in education, I have in the last eight months
sensed a new climate of collaboration in EFA.
Let us promise ourselves that we keep up the
momentum. This is in the interest of all of
us. |
| |
|
| UNESCO
writes open letter to Oxfam International |
| |
|
|
UNESCO is publishing in this Bulletin Board
an open letter to Oxfam International, explaining
how UNESCO is moving ahead on the EFA agenda.
The reason for this is to promote openness and
transparency, which, in fact, is the very purpose
of publishing the Bulletin Board. |
| |
|
|
The letter by UNESCO is a response to a speech
given by Phil Twyford, Advocacy Director of
Oxfam International, at a recent meeting at
the Canadian National Commission of UNESCO to
discuss the follow-up to the World Education
Forum. Mr Twyfor criticized UNESCO for lack
of results in the past seven months, notably
on the issue of accelerated mobilization of
funds for basic education. |
| |
|
|
"I am not suggesting that every child should
be in school already. But I am saying that by
now we should see some evidence the international
community is working together in such a way
that they are capable of meeting the targets.
And that a global initiative … is at least on
the drawing board," Mr Twyford said. |
| |
|
|
In his reply, Jacques Hallak, UNESCO's Assistant
Director-General for Education a.i. stresses
that money alone is no panacea, as it cannot
by itself solve the multi-faceted and complex
issue of providing quality education to all,
including to the millions of out-of-school children.
|
| |
|
|
"Pouring money on non-functioning education
systems will regrettably not turn them into
good education systems. Rather, education is
a long-term undertaking that necessitates capacity-building
in an open, democratic environment," Mr Hallak
comments. |
| |
|
|
Please find attached UNESCO's letter to Oxfam
International |
| |
|
| World
Bank maps donors' EFA target countries |
| |
|
|
In the past few months, the World Bank, in close
collaboration with bilateral and multilateral
donor agencies, has been mapping countries that
donor agencies are targeting upon for EFA. The
first results of this mapping exercise are now
available and the latest draft table is attached
to this Bulletin Board (in Excel format). |
| |
|
|
The draft table, which received favourable comment
at the recent meeting of the Working Group meeting
on EFA, is now being finalized. It will then
be used as an essential tool for EFA partners
to facilitate cooperation and identify non-targeted
countries where special efforts are needed,
etc. |
| |
|
The World Bank would like to receive contributions/suggestions
for improvements/changes to this draft table.
Please send to Marlaine Lockheed, Acting Director
of Education, the World Bank |
|
E-mail: Mlockheed@worldbank.org
|
| |
|
| Regional
up-date on EFA activities |
| |
|
| Africa |
| |
|
|
Nineteen of UNESCO's twenty-four field offices
in Africa attended a regional consultation from
4-5 December 2000 in Dakar, Senegal, to discuss
the kind of support that UNESCO can best offer
for Dakar follow-up activities in the region.
The consultation was organized by UNESCO's regional
office for education in Dakar. |
| |
|
|
After having listened to reports made by each
field office on what has been done in countries
since the World Education Forum last April,
participants drafted and discussed a Regional
Plan for Africa. |
| |
|
|
The draft plan proposes to place the Dakar follow-up
within the context of the Organization of African
Unity (OAU) Decade of Education in Africa (1997-2006)
and to build on other regional, subregional
and national mechanisms. The next conference
of African Education Ministers in December 2002
is seen as the occasion to consolidate national
EFA plans of action and to evaluate progress
in implementation of the Decade of Education
Programme for Action and to make adjustments
as necessary. |
| |
|
|
The plan also mentions a reinforcement of the
clearinghouse function of UNESCO Dakar. National
EFA plans of action and national experiences
and policies will be shared through the channels
provided by MINEDAF (e.g. the Ministers Web
site (http://www.minedaf.org/)
and the Document Service). Ministers' policy
briefs on specific EFA issues and concerns will
be prepared, technical consultations to consolidate
national EFA plans will be organized and memoranda
of understanding between Member States, UNESCO
and EFA partners will be elaborated. |
| |
|
|
The work plans of the different UNESCO field
offices in Africa are now being consolidated,
including identification of priority areas for
country, inter-country and subregional cooperation |
| |
|
| Contact:
A. Parsuramen, Director, UNESCO Dakar e-mail:
a.parsuramen@unesco.org |
| |
| |
|
| Countries
in action for EFA (in this issue: Bangladesh,
Madagascar, Pakistan and Sierra Leone) |
| |
|
| Bangladesh
|
| |
|
|
UNESCO Dhaka, in collaboration with the Academy
for Planning and Development, has launched two
studies on the impact of literacy programme
on promoting gender parity and the future of
girls' education. The two studies are part of
a total of twelve studies to provide support
to the government of Bangladesh in its effort
to prepare/strengthen the national plan of action
for EFA. |
|
| |
|
| Madagascar
|
| |
|
|
The African Development Bank (ADB) has agreed
to invest more in the Education for All efforts
in Madagascar. During a recent mission within
the framework of the United Nations joint initiative
for the promotion of basic education for all
children in Madagascar, a memorandum was signed
between the government of Madagascar, the United
Nations and ADB. |
| |
|
|
The African Development Bank has opened the
possibility for the governement to benefit from
its Technical Assistance Funds (non-refundable)
up to US$2.5 million in 2001 to carry out upstream
and pre-investment activities in the United
Nations Joint Madagascar initiative, and foresees
a more massive investment of some US$9-10 million
for the period 2002-2004. The government of
Madagascar will contribute US$7.5 million while
the United Nations agencies will provide a total
of US$7.9 million. Finally the Norwegian Agency
for Development Cooperation (NORAD) is expected
to contribute US$1.5 million to the initiative.
An example of collaboration to follow... |
| |
|
| Pakistan
|
| |
|
|
The government of Pakistan is planning to launch
the national and provincial plans of action
for Dakar follow-up during an EFA national conference
on 15 January 2001. UNESCO Islamabad will provide
the necessary technical and logistic support
for this important conference |
| |
|
| Sierra
Leone |
| |
|
|
UNDP Sierra Leone has agreed to provide US$150,000
to UNESCO to develop a Support Policy Project
Document (SPPD) focusing on Education for All.
UNESCO Dakar is responsible for carrying out
this project. |
|
| |
|
| Season's
greetings |
| |
|
|
The Education Sector of UNESCO wishes you all
the best for the New Year. The Bulletin Board
will be back next year with more up-dates on
the Dakar follow-up process. |
| |
|
|
===============
|
|
| |
| |
| Information
Contact: Anne Muller (a.muller@unesco.org) |
| |
|
|
| |
